Photo courtesy of the City of Homewood
As Homewood marks its 100th anniversary, one resident is helping preserve a chapter of local history that predates the city's incorporation by decades.
Julie Sellers Muir, a descendant of the Sellers family, spends part of nearly every week caring for the Bailey-Sellers Cemetery, where some of Homewood's earliest settlers are buried.
Named for her family, the cemetery serves as the final resting place of pioneers whose farms, churches and land helped shape the community that eventually became the City of Homewood.
What began as an effort to clear overgrown brush has evolved into a larger preservation project. Muir now works to restore headstones, document family history and make the cemetery more accessible for descendants and visitors interested in learning about Homewood's past.
Her efforts extend beyond Bailey-Sellers Cemetery. She is also helping preserve Morris Cemetery and Griffin Cemetery, two other historic family burial grounds connected to Homewood's early history.
According to city officials, the Sellers family donated land for churches and played an important role in the growth of the community that would become Homewood.
Muir has described the restoration work as deeply personal. In a recent social media post, she wrote that caring for the cemetery has become "my therapeutic project," adding that it allows her to quiet her mind and focus on preserving her family's history.
She acknowledged that the restoration is a slow process and that she has experienced setbacks but said she remains committed to completing the work.
Community members can follow Muir's restoration efforts through the Bailey Sellers Cemetery Committee on Facebook and Instagram.
As Homewood reflects on its centennial, city officials said projects like Muir's serve as a reminder that preserving local history involves not only historic buildings and landmarks but also the stories of the people whose lives helped shape the community.
